I am a big fan of old Florida, which is why I cried the day I heard Parrot Jungle, a Miami bastion of old Florida was closing its original park in favor of swankier Miami digs. You can’t blame me for mentally hammering the last nail in the coffin when I heard the admission to the new 18 acre park was $27.95 adult/$22.95 for kids 3+, with an additional $7.00 to park. Foggeddaboutit. So imagine my surprise recently when I dropped by the park and took them up on their offer to get an annual pass for the price of a single admission. What was a bad deal for a single visit turns out to be a very good deal when you’ve got a toddler (free admission), and you want something fun to do throughout the year. Even without the promotion, an annual adult pass is only $38.95. The best part is, if you scrape away the shiny veneer, the old Florida peeks through. They still have the fantastic macaws out for hand feeding, they still have a bird show, and they have a killer playground area and petting zoo. I DO think their admission is too high for single visits especially when compared with the MetroZoo (300+ acres; $14 a/$10 c), or Disney (gazillion acres; $71 a/$60 c). AND, I can’t quite forgive them for turning their back on the old Parrot Jungle. But, like the park’s famous Liger, this new hybrid has some interesting, if slightly schizophrenic charms.